A lunch special to leave Mickey D's in the dust, bagels baked by an actual New Yorker, and an old Dublin chipper classic getting a new run out are some of the things we're dying to try in Dublin this cold November week...
1) Pumpkin spice bagels, FatBaby Bakes
For those of us not quite ready to enter winter, and let's be honest, one can't have enough pumpkin while the leaves are still falling, fatbaby Bake's very first special is as good a reason as any to drive to Ringsend for bagels. Flavoured with a blend of autumnal spices and topped with a sticky sugar glaze, they're only available this week, so get booking. Check their insta post for how to order.
2) Autumnal bowls, Tír Deli
Thank you Tír Deli for keeping us on the straight and narrow on what will soon be silly season. These Autumnal bowls are the exact colour and goodness we need in our lives right now, with 'BBQ Mushroom', 'The Works' (with Feighcullen spicy chicken and pumpkin pâté), and the 'Sunday Roast' (with roast chicken, gravy, pickles, stuffing, roasties, roasted veg, pink aioli, and greens). Mark us down for one of each.
3) Fried fish and frites sandwich, Hawksmoor
Hawksmoor have only gone and paid homage to the humble Filet-o-Fish dreamed up by Ronald McDonald himself. Available as part of their Wednesday to Saturday lunch specials, their fried fish and frites sandwich uses fresh hake, and their frites are the perfect matchstick chip - so very underrated in upmarket chip circles.
4) Stuffed aubergine, The Winding Stair
The Winding Stair is known for all the cosy city centre vibes, and with the sun currently ghosting us around 5pm every evening, this dish of roasted, stuffed Kinsealy aubergine with lentils, muhammara, radish, spiced chickpea and saffron yoghurt is just what you need to raise your November spirits.
5) Ray Wing, The Legal Eagle
Let's hear it for ray. A beautifully unassuming delicacy, synonymous with Dublin, and previously on every chipper menu in the city, you'll now only find it in a handful (including here). It's even more scarce in restaurants, so our eyed widened this week when we saw The Legal Eagle are serving it with brown shrimp, capers, lemon and baby roast potatoes, in a brown butter sauce. Swapping batter for brown butter is the healthy choice we're willing to make this week.
